difference between mucus plug and bloody show

[MamaDee4]

HI!

Can anyone tell me if the mucus plug and/or bloody show is the same thing? Is the mucus plug just called "bloody show" when it has blood?

This is my fifth baby, you'd think I know this stuff.....but I've never had bloody show before--only obvious loss of thick mucus.

A week and a half or so I lost a bunch of thick mucus and have lost bits of the same since then (I am due in 5 days). But the last few days there is more of it and it is more like egg white mucus. This morning it was tinged with blood. Is this bloody show and is that different than the thick mucus plug I've been losing? I'm confused if they are two different things.

And....does the blood mean more than just losing a mucus plug (which I know means nothing about when labor will start). I was hoping the blood tinged EWCM was a better sign!

Dee

[onlyboys]

The tinged with blood part is likely from the change in your cervix. I've only had "bloody" show with two pregnancies. The rest looked like a bunch of fertile quality mucous.

To answer your question, bloody show is your plug, and it may be bloody or not. It may or may not mean that labor is impending.

Very exact, huh?

Happy birthing!

[KnittingMama]

Yes, bloody show and mucus plug are the same thing.

Here is my experience:

With DD, it was an actual textbook "plug". It came out in one big blob and there was NO mistaking what it was. I went into labor that same night.

With DS, it was more of a gradual process over a week. It was never bloody or blood tinged, just lots of mucus over several days. I didn't go into labor until over a week after it had started to come out and that was only because I requested my MW break my membranes to get things started.

So, it doesn't mean that it'll start right away.

happy birthing as well!

[pamamidwife]

ok, here's how it works:

the mucus plug is a gelatinous substance that basically "plugs up" your inner cervix, or os. This serves as a barrier against bacteria to help keep your baby safe. You can lose your mucus plug over a period of weeks, with just more gelatinous mucus when you wipe, or it can come out more "whole", looking like a big glob of snot. Your plug can also reform repeatedly.

When there is cervical change, small blood vessels (capillaries) break. The cervix is VERY vascular during pregnancy, so the opening of the cervix (or after sex) can create "bloody show". You can have bloody show without an apparent loss of the "plug".

Some women never notice a loss of a big plug. It's much more gradual for many women, as the cervix thins and shortens prior to labor.

Sometimes the plug - or the mucus lost gradually - can be pink, red or brown streaked. This is not really considered "show", but it does indicate some cervical change.

Most "show" that occurs happens when women wipe, meaning that oftentimes it's not really apparent on the underwear (it's not a huge amount of blood). Sometimes, though, this is not the case.

Hope that helps explain it a bit.

[boscopup]

Related to this question... As a chronic CM charter, I still tend to wipe and check for CM. On occasion, I've gotten some really stretchy yellow mucus (looks alot like the "continuous mucus" I get on a regular basis when non-pregnant, except it stretches like fertile mucus). It stretches 1-3". Is that likely part of my mucus plug, or is it just normal pregnancy discharge? The reason why it bothers me is because I had PPROM at 29 weeks last time around for unknown reason. I'll be 23 weeks this week. This is my 2nd pregnancy.

I'm probably going to be on edge until 36 weeks when I know I can have my midwife-attended out-of-hospital birth.

[pamamidwife]

it's really normal. even if it is your plug, i'ts not a sign of labor starting. in fact, women can lose bits of their plug and it replenishes and rebuilds. i think what you're describing, though, is really normal discharge.

[boscopup]

Ok, cool. I was always "mucousy" outside of pregnancy anyway, so no surprise that I'd be like that during pregnancy, right? I actually had some of this about 4-5 weeks ago as well, and labor obviously hasn't started since then.

[JennaW]

Is bloody show any indicator of labor more then plug? I have been having some bloody show this afternoon with some very tin pieces of what I assume are plug (think the size of a lentil).

[Right of Passage]

Originally Posted by JennaW

Is bloody show any indicator of labor more then plug? I have been having some bloody show this afternoon with some very tin pieces of what I assume are plug (think the size of a lentil).

For me it was I had bloody show for a full day (everytime I used the bathroom there was show on the tp and it was mucusy)but I didn't lose an obvious plug until an hour in of the 3 hour labor. But that's just one woman's experience.

[AdinaL]

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